Cocaine Blues

It's the end of the roaring twenties, and the exuberant and Honourable Phryne Fisher is dancing and gaming with gay abandon. But she becomes bored with London and the endless round of parties. In search of excitement, she sets her sights on a spot of detective work in Melbourne, Australia. And so mystery and the beautiful Russian dancer, Sasha de Lisse, appear in her life. From then on it's all cocaine and communism until her adventure reaches its steamy end in the Turkish baths of Little Lonsdale Street.

Earthly Delights: Corinna Chapman Mysteries, Book 1

Baking is an alchemical process for Corinna Chapman. At four am she starts work at Earthly Delights, her bakery in Calico Alley. But one morning Corinna receives a threatening note saying "The wages of sin is death" and finds a syringe in her cat's paw. A blue-faced junkie has collapsed in the dark alley and a mysterious man with beautiful eyes appears with a plan for Corinna and her bread. Then it is Goths, dead drug addicts, witchcraft, a homeless boy and a missing girl and it seems she will never get those muffins cooked in time.

Masked Ball at Broxley Manor: A Royal Spyness Novella

At the end of her first unsuccessful season out in society, Lady Georgiana has all but given up on attracting a suitable man - until she receives an invitation to a masked Halloween ball at Broxley Manor. Georgie is uncertain why she was invited, until she learns that the royal family intends to marry her off to a foreign prince, one reputed to be mad.

A Quiet Life in the Country: A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1

Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they've just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There's a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation...

The Sumage Solution: San Andreas Shifters, Book 1

Can a gentle werewolf heal the heart of a smart-mouthed mage? New York Times best-seller Gail Carriger, writing as GL Carriger, presents an offbeat gay romance in which a sexy werewolf with a white knight complex meets a bad-boy mage with an attitude problem. Sparks (and other things) fly.

Cherringham - A Cosy Crime Series Compilation (Cherringham 1 - 3)

Jack's a retired ex-cop from New York, seeking the simple life in Cherringham. Sarah's a Web designer who's moved back to the village find herself. But their lives are anything but quiet as the two team up to solve Cherringham's criminal mysteries. This compilation contains episodes 1 - 3: MURDER ON THAMES, MYSTERY AT THE MANOR and MURDER BY MOONLIGHT.

Death at Wentwater Court

This first installment of a cozy mystery series transports listeners back to the bygone era of 1923 Britain, where unflappable flapper and fledgling journalist Daisy Dalrymple daringly embarks on her first writing assignment, and promptly stumbles across a corpse.

A Cold Day for Murder: A Kate Shugak Mystery

Eighteen months ago, Aleut Kate Shugak quit her job investigating sex crimes for the Anchorage DA’s office and retreated to her father’s homestead in a national park in the interior of Alaska. But the world has a way of beating a path to her door, however remote. In the middle of one of the bitterest Decembers in recent memory ex-boss — and ex-lover — Jack Morgan shows up with an FBI agent in tow.

Mr. Churchill's Secretary: A Maggie Hope Novel, Book 1

London, 1940: Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her indefatigable spirit and gifts for codebreaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined....

Crocodile on the Sandbank: The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 1

Amelia Peabody embarks on her first Egyptian adventure armed with unshakable self-confidence, a journal for her thoughts, and, of course, a sturdy umbrella. On her way, she rescues Evelyn Barton-Forbes, who has been "ruined" and abandoned on the streets of Rome by her lover. With a typical disregard for convention, Amelia promptly hires her fellow countrywoman as a companion and takes her to Cairo, where strange visitations and a botched kidnapping convince Amelia that there is a plot afoot to harm Evelyn.

A Curious Beginning

As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria's golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry - and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

Some Danger Involved: Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 1

An atmospheric debut novel set on the gritty streets of Victorian London, Some Danger Involved introduces detective Cyrus Barker and his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, as they work to solve the gruesome murder of a young scholar in London's Jewish ghetto. When the eccentric and enigmatic Barker takes the case, he must hire an assistant, and out of all who answer an ad for a position with "some danger involved", he chooses downtrodden Llewelyn, a gutsy young man with a murky past.

Publisher's Summary

The glorious Phryne Fisher returns to the spotlight in her seventh adventure. Fisher is an independent, unconventional PI with competence, unflappability and flamboyance in equal measures.

Running late to the Hinkler gala performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore, she meets some thugs in a dark alley and handles them convincingly before they can ruin her silver dress. Phryne then finds that she has rescued a gorgeous Chinese, Lin Chung, and his grandmother, and is briefly mistaken for a deity. Denying divinity but accepting cognac, she later continues safely to the theater. But it's an unexpected evening as her night is again interrupted by a most bizarre death onstage.

What links can Phryne possibly find between the ridiculously entertaining plot of Ruddigore, the city's Chinese community, and the actors treading the boards of His Majesty's Theatre? Drawn backstage and onstage, Phryne must solve an old murder and find a new murderer, and, of course, banish the theater's ghost, who seems likely to kill again.

What the Critics Say

"Scented, dangerous, and highly enjoyable." (The Weekend Australian)

"Phryne Fisher sparkles with wit and champagne elegance. Stephanie Daniel performs with genteel ease. Her upper-class Australian accents and her wild assortment of reputable and disreputable characters are truly amazing." (AudioFile)

What a marvelous book! Lovely story and I learned SO much. I didn't even know that Gilbert and Sullivan had written a play called Ruddigore. I learned about it, about Australia in the 1920's and had a marvelous murder mystery to boot!

If you're into sex, suspense and sadistic gore, this is NOT the book for you, but if you love old-fashioned whodunits, download this book today!

The narrator is wonderful and she even sings! (Quite well, too!). More Phrynie Fisher please!! She's wonderful!

Kerry Greenwood's character Phryne comes to life again This is one of my favourites, but the singing of the reader greatly mars the overall effect of the story, and almost made me fast forward! It is worth gritting your teeth though the singing, just to meet Lin.

In her seventh adventure, Phryne attends a stage performance of G&S's *Ruddigore,* and sees an actor drop dead on stage in Act 1 and another actor pass out in Act 2. The manager of the theatre company is an old friend from Phryne's London days, so naturally she is involved in the case from the beginning. Current events seem to be all mixed up with the suicide (murder?) some 20 years earlier of a beautiful star in the Savoy Theatre company. As the investigation proceeds, we learn about the background and past of each of the actors, hands and technical workers in the theatre.

While she is involved in the investigation, Phryne also experiences a significant occurrence in her life. When she intervenes to foil an attack by several men upon one man and an elderly woman, Phryne meets, and is very much taken with, Lin Chung, a beautiful young Chinese man. Mr. Lin will appear frequently in future books of this series.

*Ruddy Gore* has all the elements that readers love in this series. Phryne is as beautiful, care free, confident, capable and smart as always. Inspector Jack Robinson is as stolid, upright, and determined as usual. Dot, the Butlers, Jane and Ruth, and Bert and Cec all behave as expected and provide assistance to Phryne when needed. And Stephanie Daniel once again does her usual marvelous job of bringing Phryne and all the other characters to life, and even does a credible job of singing snatches of Gilbert and Sullivan tunes when called for.

Where does Ruddy Gore rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's near the top. I've enjoy all the Miss Fisher mysteries so far. They are good, fun classic style mysteries. The author does great research and nicely combines a sense of the time with modern sensibilities. (For example in the book before this one Phryne travels with a circus. The use of animals is first described with the complacent acceptance appropriate to the 1920s, but then later Phryne comes to the thought that this is a sad way to treat wild animals.) Phryne is a classic heroine who excels at anything she decides to do, but in a modern way she has to work to get there and we see her struggles and doubts along the way. I was moved to review this one because two Gilbert and Sullivan productions are woven into it. G&S being another love of mine, I especially enjoyed this. The narrator does an excellent job of rendering all the inserts of songs. If she ever does a one-woman G&S show, I'll fly to Australia to see it.

What other book might you compare Ruddy Gore to and why?

Miss Fischer reminds me of a young Mrs. Bradley, though I confess I only know Mrs. Bradley from the BBC series. I'm reminded of the early Tommy and Tuppence mysteries of Agatha Christie because of the time and in some ways the female leads and of the Ngaio Marsh books because of the time, the G&S references, and the setting. And in some ways Miss Fisher reminds me of modern female detective's like V.I. Warshowski, though there is definitely more of a bulletproof and guaranteed happy ending vibe than you get with V.I. Tough issues are touched on and Phryne has her struggles, but there is an overall lightness. I'm also reminded of Wonder Woman and Charlie's Angels--beautiful, smart women who you know will win in the end.

What about Stephanie Daniel’s performance did you like?

Stephanie Daniel has done a consistently compelling and fun narration of all the Phryne Fisher books so far. She chooses and executes the various voices and accents for the characters and captures the tone beautifully. I was moved to write a review finally because of how well she deliveres the song snippets in this one. I grew up on G&S, I've seen all the operettas and I've been in several, including both Ruddigore and Pirates of Penzance and I was a bit nervous when she started singing the first time, but she captures it beautifully.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I ended up falling asleep to it rewound and finished it the next morning.

Any additional comments?

I love the initial exchange between Phryne and her friend who is dreading going to the opera and then the friend's enjoyment of the performance. I'm going to give this audiobook to anyone who asks me about what Gilbert and Sullivan is like.

I do love this series. If you want to love it too, suspend disbelief; this is a getaway into a fantasy world. Everything works out for Phryne; she is an excellent pilot, can defend herself physically, smokes gaspers, has perfect shiny hair, a wardrobe to die for and can have any man she wants. Then, of course, there are all the murders that happen around her with exotic characters involved. The powers that be (police, lords and ladies, etc.) put great stock in her guidance. And there's just enough tasteful sex (on silk sheets) to add a some piquancy. It's not gritty reality, it's fun fantasy in a decade that I have always wanted to time-travel to. Stephanie Daniel's narration is flawless. She captures Phryne Fisher's aplomb and cool poise perfectly. Escapism WITH some interesting and accurate historical references at its best. Brava Kerry Greenwood and Stephanie Daniels.<br/><br/>This particular book will definitely appeal to those who enjoy the theatre and, most especially, Gilbert & Sullivan. As my family has performed in so many G&S productions, it was particularly appealing to me.

For some reason it took me forever to listen to this book. The others in the series I loved and listened to in a day or two; but this one I couldn't seem to finish. The others had the storylines more equally shared. This one seemed t o go on too long about the theater and I almost completely forgot the Lin Chung plot line. Come to think on it the TV version of this episode was not my favorite either. Ruddy Gore is a Bloody bore.

I enjoy all of Kerry Greenwoods books. they are well researched, and exceptionally well written when it comes to clearly imagining the story in the various settings, with accurate historical details, maintaining the audience's/reader's attention with an engaging pace and enticing, well-developed, believable characters. The voice performance artist, Stephanie Daniel, is energetic, versatile, able to bring pitch and tone variations to the many characters, as well as diverse and accurate accents to her performance of them consistently throughout the story. The only area of performance that might be considered for modification in future is Ms Daniel's singing, she might consider lyrically reading the dialgue of the song versus trying to sing the songs off key, otherwise an exceptionally talented performing voice artist. Thank you both, so much, for sharing your talents

Though the story was very interesting and fun to follow, I did not like the narrator's singing rather frequently through the hours of listening. I think this book would have been much better if I'd read it instead of listening. I was so tempted to fast forward through the awful music but was afraid I'd miss something important to the story.<br/>I've liked all the other books very much and was dismayed that this one was nearly ruined by the narrator adding her version of the songs from Ruddigore.<br/>I'm inclined to ask Audible for a refund but since I enjoyed the story, I'll let them keep my money.

What did you like best about this story?

Phryne is an amazing character and I really enjoy her attitude and drive. The other characters are always interesting and well described. The twists and turns of the story kept me listening when I should have been doing other things.

How could the performance have been better?

LEAVE OFF THE SINGING!! Oh, please just leave it out! It was so mediocre I nearly cried in pain.

If you could take any character from Ruddy Gore out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The boy Herbert is such a bright child and has so much enthusiasm. His company would definitely add delight to any meal.

Any additional comments?

I'm listening to all of the Fisher novels while knitting and look forward to sitting down with each new story.

Stephanie Daniel is usually so good but please Stephanie no more singing! Spoiled the end entirely. The only time I have ever fast forwarded a book.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Torlus

UK

7/25/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Same great formula"

Same great formula as the other Phryne Fisher books. Well told and well read.Really missed the interview with Kerry Greenwood at the end (there wasn't one) to understand why it was written and her research for the book.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Rosemary

Norwich, United Kingdom

11/30/12

Overall

"Good Story"

The best thing about this is the wonderful reading and singing of the talented Stephanie Daniel.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

L. Slade

Surrey

9/19/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good - better without the singing"

Would you consider the audio edition of Ruddy Gore to be better than the print version?

No

What other book might you compare Ruddy Gore to, and why?

It's a good series, I just didn't see the need to sing the G&S score - it was very grating

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The singing

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

no idea

Any additional comments?

It's a good series, I just didn't see the need to sing the G&S score - it was very grating

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

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